Adhesive and plastic mass and method of preparing the same



Patented Aug. 27,

UNITED STATES PATENT \o lcE.

DELAWARE.

No, Drawing.

This invention relatesto the preparation of adhesive and plastic masses and relates more particularly to the preparation of such materials from casein and urea.

It is an object of the present invention to prepare neutral casein glues.

It is a further object of this invention to prepare neutral casein glues which contain a hardening agent. a

A still further object is to provide such glues in the form of a powder which may be sold in commerce and isready for use merely upon the addition of Water.

It has long been known that casein glues are extremely adhesive, but it has been impossible to use them in place of the animal and vegetable glues such as bone glue and um arabic, for the reason it has heretofore en necessary to dissolve the casein in alkalies to make the casein glue, and these alkalies tend to yellow and eventually destroy fine paper an other objects to be joined. Furthermore, many of these prior art casein glues aresubject to the destructive action of bac teria when in solution; and the joints made are comparatively easily soluble in .water. In order to increase the insolubility of such glues, cumbersome and unpleasant operations with formaldehyde are necessary, and

in many cases, such-hardening treatment is impossible or reachesonly the: edges of the joint.- I

I have discovered that a clear, neutral casein solution may be readily produced by dissolving casein in an aqueous solution of urea, or by stirring a mixture of casein and,

urea in water. Furthermore, either rennet casein or acid casein may be used in the prep-' aration of this solution, whereas only acid casein may be used in the pre aration of the ordinary alkali casein glues. e casein completely dissolves in the cold aqueous solution of urea in a short time, and only relatively small quantities of casein are required to make a fluid of substantial adhesivenesas compared with the quantity of casein whlch must be dissolved in an alkali solution to form an equal adhesive To pre pare a casein g ue of the character, 7 grams of casein may e stirred into 100 cu. cm. of an urea solution, consisting of one part by weight of urea and one part by'wei ht of water. This produces a shmy, very eslve max nnmmcxnrw or mam, 9mm, xssrenoa, n IEBNE ASSIGNMENTS, ro

AMERICAN NUPLAX CORPORATION, OF-NEW YORK, N. Y., .L'= CORPORATION 01 nnnnsrvn AND rnns'rrc nun, nnrrnon or PREPARING 'rnn sum.

Application filed Iay 29, 1928, Serial No. 112,784, and in Germany April 8, 1986.

mixture. As an alternative method of preparation, 100 grams of urea and 20 casein may gramsof be ground for two hours in a mixing mlll. The resulting powder may be used to form either a paste, a jelly or siruplike fluid, depending upon. the quantity'of water added. For example, 10 rams of this powder mixed with 20 cu. cm. 0 water yields a paste, while the same quantity of powder with 40 cu. cm. of water yields a strongly adhesive sirup-like liquid.

An adhesive according to my invention is preferably produced by intimately mixing powdered urea and powdered casein in the proper pro ortions, and stirring the mixture in water, w ereupon a high grade casein glue is immediately provided. The dry casein and urea powder is neither hygroscopic nor subject to decomposition by the action of bacteria.

An important commercial advantage of my invention is that the adhesive may be sold as a dry powder, so that it is in a form ready for use upon merel adding water. This is not true of the alka i casein glues made from the ordinary commercial alkalies such as caustic soda and caustic potash. To prepare these glues, the casein must .be added to the alkali solution immediately before use, and'the proportions of casein and alkali must be determined by the user. j

The solution of casein and urea prepared as above described may be cooked or boiled without any co ulation of the casein taking place and also without any diminution of adesiveness of the product. Upon cooling, the casein solution forms a. uniform white mass having the appearance of a thick starch paste which may e readily dissolved in water to form a thin glue, or used directly as a paste.

If coloring materials such as ochre, cinnabar, coloring lacquer, etc., or fillin materials such as chalkror the like are ad ed to the powdered mixture of casein and urea, a ready-to-use paint or cement is obtained upon the addition of water. Thus a white paint may be obtained by intimately mixing 100 grams of urea, 10 grams of casein, 40 grams of lithopone and 120 cu. cm. of water. To roduce a white cement the same mixture may employed, substituting 70 grams of lithoin place of the 40 grams used in the ioo -- 2 s mamas of the glued joint, it has heretofore been 'oints made with casein'urea solution accord- 40 necessary, as stated above, to harden the mg to my invention will have a much larger casein glue with formaldehyde while or after water resistance than those made with the making the joint. "According to my invensoluble alkali casein glues heretofore in com- 6 tion however, formaldehyde in any form may mon use, for the reason that the latter readbe added directly to the casein urea solution. ily dissolve in water even when present in 45 No coagulation takes'place on this addition, excess. 1 but the fluid becomes thicker and presents A. further use of this casein urea solution an'iiicreased adhesiveness' while still retainis in the preparation of moulded lastie 10 ing its water solubility. After the joint has masses. If the casein urea solution e dibeen lued and permittedto dry, the formal= luted as described above to such an extent 50.

I deh e already present in the glue serves to that precipitation takes lace,'it is found bar on it and increase the resistance of the that the easily filtered fla es of albuminous joint to water. The advantages of this manmaterial thus obtained have, when dried t 15 nor of using formaldehyde are obvious, inas property of forming a transparent artiiicial much as the formaldehyde is distributed over horn when 'moulded with heat and pressur'e, 55

. the entire surface of the glued 'oint, and efand furthermore, the pressure required is mafects its hardemn action we y, whereas, terially lower than that necessary 'with accordin to the o d metho of treating the vmoulded objects heretofore made of casein.

' 2 finished oint with formaldeh do only the In the claims the term formaldehyde is edges of the joint could be reac ed. intended to include the polymers of formalde- 00 Instead of adding formalin or formaldehyde. r ,hyde in some other form to the casein urea I claim: I solution, a solid polymer of formaldehyde, 1. An adhesive mixture comprising casein, I 26 such as araformaldehyde, may be, added to urea, formaldehyde and water.

the pow ered mixture of, casein and urea re- 2,. As a n compos twn of tt do as ferredtoabove. This has the advanta ethat dered mixture adapted to form' an adhesive thepowder as sold will contain the har ening upon the addition of water, and comprising reagent in the necessary quantity, thus furcasein, urea and formaldehyde. 30 ther reducing the inconvenience tothe user. 3. The process of preparing a neutral v A further peculiar pro erty of the easel}! casein solution, adaptedfor use, as an. ad- 10 -urea solution is that "an a buminous preclplhesive, which consists in dissolvlng urea in fate is obtained when anexcess of water is water, and then dissolving casein in the urea added. For example, if a casein urea solusolution.

'86 tion prepared as above described ispoured In testimony whereof, I have signed my into av large quantity of water, or diluted name to this specification this 15th day of I therewith, an albummous substance in the May, 1926. I form of easil filtered flakes quickly reci ip l tates. It will be apparent from t "s t at I 7 MAX LANDEGKER. 

